Everton are planning a move for an exciting £15m worth of talent

At face value, David Moyes‘ tactical vision does not deviate too much from the plan that prompted Farhad Moshiri two years ago to Sean Dyche according to Everton steer.

Frank Lampard was sacked, Everton needed more resistance with steel backing, Dyche fit the bill. It worked, for a while, but the Toffees could only stretch so far under the auspices of a pragmatic boss. So he left a few weeks ago after reportedly informing the new owners, The Friedkin Group, that he felt he had taken the project as far as it could go.

On face value, Moyes also employs a practiced and defensively heavy style, but just ask Spurs about the Scot’s attacking prowess, and they will surely admit that the Blues tore them to shreds with a stunning bite.

It hardly looked like a side that had scored just 15 goals previously Premier League of goals, the second lowest total in the division. Nor was it the feeling of a side that had just welcomed a manager with restraint towards attacking play.

However, 16th-placed Everton must enter the January transfer window in order to retain enough firepower during the working months of the term.

Everton are pushing for a January signing

According to The Daily TelegraphEverton have added the Sunderland midfielder Day Neil into their shortlist of transfer targets, although he could prove difficult to get hold of this month.

Moyes, who once managed the Black Cats, is a huge fan of the 23-year-old and is believed to have followed his career ever since.

While Everton scouts have been keeping a close eye on Neil, Sunderland are sure to play hard at mid-season, especially as they are fourth in the Championship, pushing for promotion.

He is valued at more than £15m, which is a lot of money for a rising talent in the second division, but an indication of Neil’s quality and why Everton should pull no punches to seal the deal.

Why Everton are interested in Dan Neil

Everton clicked against Tottenham; play like that every week and Goodison Park would be littered with the best the Premier League has to offer.

Consistency is key, though, and players like Neil do wonders to weave fluidity into the squad structure to create a ripple effect for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who snapped a 16-match Premier League clean sheet on Sunday.

Neil worked his way up through the youth ranks at Sunderland made 177 senior appearances for the club, recording 11 goals and 20 assists during his journey so far.

Neil recently dominated for his side as they defeated Derby in the league, keeping their foot on the pedal as they chase automatic promotion.

Reporter Ethan Todd was among those who were impressed, saying that Nail: “Absolutely controlled and dictated the whole game, with great forward passes and runs while keeping things tight in midfield. Constantly instructing the team, a fitting captain’s performance.”

It shows that Everton would not only sign a player capable of injecting some dynamic quality into the middle of the park, but also a leader, someone who could push and inspire, coach and demand. That’s what Everton need.

Here’s a team that proved its attacking flair wasn’t negligible under Dyche’s wing, just latently languishing in the Goodison Park underground. Tottenham were blown away by the Merseysiders; we keep coming back to it, but it was such a miracle, such a spectacle, that it revealed the true capacity of this team.

Neil could be an architect, hailed as a “brilliant footballer” and “a true leader on and off the pitch” teammate Patrick Roberts. As you’ll see from his Championship game metrics this term, there are few who play a more complete role in the engine room, balancing his product and covering so much ground on the field.

Moyes could even sign his next version of Mikel Arteta by bringing Neil in line, such is the rounded nature of his skills.

Everton signed the Arsenal manager during his playing days, bringing him in from Real Sociedad for £3m in August 2005, proving to be one of the best signings of his distinguished tenure at the Toffees.

He eventually joining the Gunners in a £10m dealsix years later, but Arteta had already presented 209 times for the Merseyside outfit, scoring 35 goals and providing 36 assists, making a central contribution to the most prosperous era in their modern history.

But wait a minute, how does this relate to the current interest in Neil from Sunderland? Well, as well as Moyes repeating his trick by bringing the player to Goodison – as he did with Arteta back in the day – Neil has sharp playmaking skills while also excelling in a range of midfield duties.

The Spaniard was usually deployed in midfield alongside the anchor, allowing his creativity and ability on the ball to be properly showcased. He would dictate play and control the tempo of the game, acting as a kind of metronome.

Arteta added something different to the Everton midfield, a different dimension that Neil could replicate, sitting alongside the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Orel Mangala and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Moyes once claimed that his former midfielder was “head and shoulders” above his peers, and you just get the feeling that Neil could be, 15 years later, Moyes back at Everton.

Talk about circularity.